Start Doodling in 3 Easy Steps

Doodling is one of the easiest hobbies to begin – you need little more than a pencil and paper. And there are many good reasons to take up doodling.

It’s easy to get started if you fancy being a doodler. You just need paper and a pen or pencil.

Without too much effort you can be colouring the margins of your school books, sketching around the notes you take in a business meeting, or simply giving your biro free reign on a magazine or newspaper while watching TV or travelling by train or bus.

The benefits of doing so are numerous: Business Optimizer has looked at the benefits of doodling in previous blogs. They include stress relief, improved engagement and better retention and recall of information.

If you’d like to access some of these benefits by taking up doodling as a hobby, then you’ll just need to follow these three easy steps to start doodling.

#1. Choose your surface

If you’re serious about getting started with doodling, why not treat yourself to a decent artbook you can take with you everywhere? A hardback cover helps to keep your doodles in tip-top condition, so this Moleskine sketch book is ideal.

But you don’t need to invest a lot of money if you don’t want to: doodling around the corners of an old newspaper will work just as well!

Or if you’d like to experiment with different media, check out our guide to the best art papers.

For those who don’t like to be limited by size, check out Navigator Expression or Navigator Presentation and go for the A3 sheets.

#2. Choose your medium

The humble biro is a classic medium when it comes to doodling, but in this era of zero plastic waste goals, why not select a more natural tool for your doodling? 

A graphite pencil is a biodegradable and easily accessible alternative. Plus, it’s easy to carry with you wherever you go. And, if you’re doodling at home, you can put your shavings in the compost bin! 

If you’d prefer to splash out, you could invest in some beautiful colouring pencils instead. The sets from Derwent Art Supplies are among the most decadent – and will add beautiful colour effects to your doodles. Why not check out Derwent Art’s different collections? The boxed sketching pencils are our favourites!

#3. Relax and experiment!

There are no rules when it comes to doodling. The trick is to relax and enjoy. Allow your mind to wander and don’t concentrate on the shapes your pencil is making on the page. It’s this disconnection between brain and page which makes doodling such an effective relaxation tool. 

If you are having difficulty switching off at first, play your favourite CD or radio station. Listening to music is a great way to start: offering an opportunity to focus on something other than what your doodling hand is doing!

After a while, you’ll begin to understand why doodling helps with engagement and can act as an aide memoire. You should find yourself connecting with the music in new ways.

Read more about the power of doodling here.